Jason used to think he was strong, and that nothing could break him. He could face the world and walk out of it just fine, or at least almost whole.

That was before Addilyn. Before he crashed and fell into love so brutally and so hard it hurt. Before he realized that life was worth it, and that there was an entire world out there, waiting for them to fuck up over and over again.

Addilyn changed him, and not once did Jason ever regret it.

Now... Jason was shattering. A simple word make him want to break down and apologize and plead and make her understand. Addilyn had to know how much he loved her. She was his love, his life, and his home. Jason was home when he held her hand, saw her smile, made her laugh.

And now he was breaking that home.

He didn't even have to turn around or read her mind to know what Addilyn looked like, what she felt like. She was confused, hoping she heard wrong, but there was also that doubt that would worm its way into her mind, saying that 'She knew this would happen' and 'Jason would never stay with me,' when in reality, Addilyn was all Jason ever wanted and needed.

Everything was crashing into his mind at once, and his dazed and anxiety driven state wasn't able to keep it all out. Amika's pain, Jonas's concern, Addilyn's confusion... the groups betrayal and worry, Jolon and the other mans doubt and bloodlust... it was all pounding and screaming and shouting and Jason was being pushed down by the pressure and hate and internal torture. It was all too much.

Jason is splintering, cracking at the seams, threatening to spill over.

But something reals him back in.

A single moment of calm, a breath of clarity. Where it came from is a mystery, but the second of silence allowed Jason to shut down the walls, and seal himself away. In order to go through with this, he couldn't know what the others thought. So, with death over his shoulders and a shattering mind and soul, Jason went on.

"It's all been a game, huh? Maybe... maybe we are all just... 'accidents' waiting to happen... to be in the wrong place at the..." Jason took a step towards his fears, away from his hopes and dreams, "I need to know the truth. You've told me more than..." His palms are stiff and sweaty, "I know now." Jason didn't look at the people behind him. Where Jolon and his lackeys saw shock, the people close to Jason's heart would see the utter agony, pain, and terror in his face.

This is not what he wanted.

This is not what is supposed to happen

Although it is fake, Jason wouldn't feel the same after turning his back on he last of his family, and all of his heart.

It wasn't nearly as bad as what it had felt like to get her mind shattered but this, this horrible headache sucked. She pushed her pain away, trying to focus on what was happening since it seemed like something was indeed happening.

Jason's words struck Amika suddenly and she frowned. What in the hell was he thinking? The group had trusted his stupid ass and this was how he repaid them? Amika could only imagine what Addilyn was thinking, poor thing. She'd been through so much already. No one should have to hold out for this long.

Amika tried to shift a bit in Jonas' arms to see better but the pain flared and she winced. Closing her eyes, as the scene in front of her was working her up to much for her to watch. Instead, she hid herself in Jonas' arms, hiding herself from the scene that was slowly unfolding itself in front of her.
Addilyn still just couldn't register what was happening, she couldn't understand it. For a long moment, she just stood there as her brain tried to catch up and fully take in the words Jason said.

If it hit Amika like a truck, then it hit Addilyn like someone was tearing her apart. The first questions were simply 'why?' Everything had been going so, so well, or so Addilyn had believed.

Apparently it hadn't though.

Apparently, Jason had doubted Addilyn just as she thought he had, just as he should. Jolon was right, Addilyn was dangerous. Jason was right in a way too. Having friends was an accident waiting to happen. Addilyn was just a bomb that could go off at any moment. She wasn't strong, she was just someone with a power that she couldn't even properly control when her emotions ran wild.

Addilyn reached up to her face with her hand, she'd felt something wet on her face and it turned out that she was crying. When had that even happened? She didn't know. She looked at her hand with melting eyes. Without saying a word, Addilyn began to laugh. It wasn't any good laughter, it was a hysterical kind of crazed laughter. The kind you make when something deep inside your soul dies.

Addilyn's laughter was high pitched and shook her whole body.

From the car, Kaitlyn watched as Addilyn began to speak. Little Destan was trying to get out of the car, begging Kaitlyn to let him go out and help Addilyn. Kaitlyn didn't budge.

"What else do you want Jolon? Are you happy now? Are you happy you've taken away almost all the people I love and made the rest scared of me? Are you happy now that you've made me more miserable than you ever have in my life. Are you happy?" Addilyn switched to Spanish half way through and practically screamed the last few words. Her voice cracking as she fell to her knees, clenching her small powerful fists to keep it in.

She couldn't lose control... Or maybe she should.

Maybe she should just kill Jolon now. Maybe she should just stop running and face him head on.

Right now.

She stared at her hand. Slowly opening it to show her glowing palm. She should do it. She was positive now. It was time Jolon went down wasn't it?

Kaitlyn was suddenly there, closing Addilyn's hand and turning to stare at Jolon with a fiery hate in her eyes. "If you want Jason, fucking take him already. Get him away from us. You've done more than enough in your life time. Especially to Addilyn. If you truly want a fight, then you'll get one in three days time. Now get the hell out of here before I kill that stupid adviser of yours and anyone else in this general area too." Kaitlyn was seething, holding Addilyn's hand in her own. No one had to know that Kaitlyn was the one keeping Addilyn under control.

She was the only reason everyone here wasn't dead.

Jolon smiled a horrible, horrible maniacal smile on his face. "It would be a pleasure to explain to Jason the things he should know. I know it is a shock child. I will make sure to tell you the whole of Addilyn's story. All you have to do it take my hand." Jolon reached out his hand towards Jason. From here, they'd teleport back to Jolon's mansion and Jason would be well taken care of.

After all, Jason had already done his job.

He'd broken Addilyn more than anyone else could ever possibly do.

Jason didn't dare lift his mental shields. Addilyn's strong emotional anguish would destroy any self control he had. He would run to her, hold her, apologize and beg her to forgive him. That was not how the story would end, though. When Jolon offered his hand, Jason couldn't stop twitch of disgust that flashed across his face. Jason played it off, "Don't call me a child and you have yourself a deal," He walked the few steps towards Jolon and shook his hand. Right before he knew Jolon would teleport, Jason looked into the crowd. Addilyn was breaking, Kaitlyn stood strong, Amika terrified... everyone was angry at him, for good reason. The only one who seemed calm was... Ribs.

Ribs had been his prison buddy, but most importantly, his best friend. He should be betrayed and angry at Jason, so why wasn't he? It wasn't until he met his eyes that Jason understood. Ribs knew he was carefully constructing walls and barriers, that he had a plan, that Jason wasn't a traitor. That knowledge gave Jason a platform to be strong on, steeling his shoulders and gaze. He would not be broken. Not by Jolon and his lackeys. When everyone else hated him, Ribs... Ribs trusted him. And if anything, when this was over, he would have his best friend.

But no one would be able to fix the gaping hole in his heart that was Addilyn.

Kaitlyn's main ability had never been healing.

All witches had a specific spell they were good at, or a set of spells with mostly the same outcome. Addilyn was needles and fire apparently since Kaitlyn's fingers burned as she clutched the younger girl's hand.

It was hard to push through all of Addilyn's mental anguish but Kaitlyn did it and shut off Addilyn's brain.

It was her main ability. She was able to basically turn people off and knock them out from a simple touch. If she was desperate enough she could even knock someone out from a distance. Kaitlyn's ability guaranteed your consciousness to be put in a black void and the sleep she caused would be accompanied by none of the woes the real world offered.

This was not the first time Kaitlyn had stopped Addilyn from doing something she'd regret with her powers. And she was pretty sure it wouldn't be the last.

Jolon smirked at Jason's attitude. He liked this kid, pretty soon, he would be a man and Jolon liked the fire in Jason's eyes.

Even if he was a little lost right now.

"A car will be here shortly for you all. Wouldn't want you all to get hypothermia out here so you'll get a car for all your troubles. This is goodbye, for now." Jolon ended his villain monologue just as Jason grabbed his hand. Immediately blue flames surrounded him and Jason and they were hurtled through space back to Jolon's mansion.

Now he had another lackey.

Kaitlyn sighed, they needed to get to the nearest hotel and rest. It wasn't an option and taking the new car wasn't one either. "That was great. Brax, can you please carry Addilyn to the van and sit her down somewhere. Al go with him and help him." Brax stood there in shock for a bit before nodding and hurrying over to Addilyn. Worry coloring his face as he picked up her limp form.

When Al opened the door for Brax, all Destan saw was Addilyn. She looked so...so small and unprotected. The tears were lingering on her face and she looked weak. He shook his head and began to cry. Not wanting to admit the fact that she was broken now.

"What's happening?" Brax's voice broke through the silence as Al called for Kaitlyn.

It was all such a big mess and Amika didn't want to be a part of it. She didn't want to admit that Jason had just teleported away with an enemy stronger than any of them due to supernatural causes. She didn't want to admit that her head hurt like all hell or that she wanted to go back to New York and act like none of this had happened.

Her mind was not strong enough to handle and understand magic and each time she saw it done some tiny bit of her brain splintered. For once she was not strong enough for something.

Kaitlyn ran over to the two girls inside the van and set a kind hand on both of them. Using her energy to do her best to heal them both. Words rolling off her tongue with the ease of years of practice.

Jolon had teleported right inside his mansion, letting go of Jason's hand as soon as possible. "I do hope you don't have a weak stomach, many cannot handle the impact of the speed. Now, all the doors in this house are labeled, its easier for guests to navigate this way. Now that you're here, one of the guest bedrooms should be labeled Jason and you can make it as comfortable as you wish. It will change with your thoughts. In around 2 hours meet me in my office. If you need directions just ask a maid or something. Please don't leave the mansion, you'll probably be killed immediately. You'll get your explanations soon."

Jolon smirked and without giving Jason a chance to react, he disappeared.

Since Addilyn had been born, the teleporting areas in the mansion had been restricted. Just for her of course, all places important in their own ways. The one Jolon had randomly teleported to was directly in front of a room with the name 'Addilyn' written on a dry erase board in bold handwriting. It was unlike all the other impersonal labels on the other doors with had been made by magic, no, this was written in a young Addilyn's handwriting.

Jason wasn't sure what new and twisted game Jolon was playing now, but he forced back his queasiness, not willing to let any weakness show. He didn't bother responding to Jolon, as he flashed away in an instant. Jason checked his watch. Two hours. The time seemed to inch by, but Jason knew the time would be upon him sooner than he would expect.

The door in front of him offered a faint promise of hope. He would see Addilyn again, if only to tell her the advisors were gone, and she didn't need to worry any more. If she refused to let him back... well no one could say she was being unfair.

Kaitlyn decided to explain as Brax watched the surrounding area with worry. "Addilyn's grandfather decided to show up and broke Amika's mind. She isn't one for magic so that really, really didn't help when I healed her mind. She is a bit better now, she just has a hell of a headache and is probably terrified of magic. Jason bought Jolon's edited truths about Addilyn and that pretty much shattered her so Jason's left with Jolon and everything is shit now. I had to knock out Addilyn because she was breaking to much."
Kaitlyn was being blunt but hiding the real truth.

The real truth was that Addilyn would've killed them all if not for Kaitlyn. She would've thrown her needles from every inch of her skin and it would've killed everyone.

No one needed to know that.

Amika nodded and kept herself tucked away in Jonas' arms. Sure, she was being selfish but she never had been once before. Never. She'd always been the one that did everything asked of her, she'd always gave everything her all.

For once she would rather be here than with anyone else. Dealing with anyone else's problems other than her own. "It wasn't your fault Jonas, th-thank you for helping me now."

Jason felt silly as he knocked on the door. Of course nothing would happen, but he did it anyways. It felt rude to just walk inside Addilyn's personal space, even if she hadn't been there in years.

Aloe was fast asleep in Alex's arms, who slowly shifted her back into her seat while Kailtlyn explained. In an odd way, Kailtlyn was grateful towards the other woman for not sugarcoating her words. Alex asked for the facts, and the facts were what she received.

No this room was different.

The walls were painted a deep, rich purple that complimented the dark wooden floors nicely. The room itself was large, with a bay window taking up a majority of the wall across from the door. It looked comfy, with soft pillows that allowed for one to read with access to natural light. The wall to the right of the door had a canopy bed with dark wooden branches reaching downwards with dark blue flowers growing off the branches. The comforter of the bed matched the flowers and the pillows were deep purple. The bed was also a queen size yet took up little space in the large room.

In front of the foot of the bed was a cozy, large black rug. The wall to the left side of the door had floor to roof bookshelves that held both books and picture frames. Mostly of Addilyn and her family or her training. In the middle of the two bookshelves sat a desk with papers strewn across it as well as books and a sketch of a potion and notes written on what it could do.

Beside the bed was a door to the restroom which had another door that led to Addilyn's large closet that consisted of only dark clothes. Which was a regular thing for any apprenticed witch.

The room looked lived in but it was as if the person living there really didn't want to be. Even the pictures of Addilyn here were sadder, especially one of her in the arena, looking down at her hands with this intense expression that no child should have.

All of this was great and all, but the most terrifying part was the movement under the bed.

Without warning a cat ran for Jason, it had long grey(blue) fur and an almost smile on its face. "Addilyn! You're ba- wait a minute. Who the fuck let this giant in?" The cat was staring at Jason with his back arched. Surprise coloring its intelligent gaze.

"He smells so much like her, even traces of her magic... I really thought it was her." The cat looked back down and turned away from the man in its master's room. Sure the reg was interesting, he smelled like Addilyn but that was definitely not Addilyn. So he was still stuck here. Great, just what he wanted.

Kaitlyn sighed, she hated being in charge of things but she was the oldest and it was her responsibility. "Ok, listen up! The other car Jolon is sending over we will use to get to the nearest hotel. We don't all fit in this van so Brax, Al, Amika, Ribs and Zane can go in that one. Micheal can just barely fit in the van as well. Sound good?" Zane nodded, he hadn't said a word since the incident and from the looks of it he didn't plan to. Which was fine by Kaitlyn.

Amika held Jonas a little tighter. Understanding the words he said and what they meant. She didn't have a reply at the moment. She was in to much pain to think at the time but sooner or later she'd let him know how thankful she was.